Edward Kennedy Ellington was recognized in his lifetime as one of the greatest jazz composers and performers of all time. He was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. to James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. Ellington’s childhood friend, Edgar McEntree, thought Ellington carried himself
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like a young nobleman and deserved a title, so he nicknamed him “Duke.” (3) Daisy Ellington played piano and surrounded Duke with dignified women who reinforced his manners and taught him to live elegantly. (2) James Ellington was also a piano player who made blueprints for the Navy and occasionally worked as a White House caterer. Duke Ellington began taking piano lessons at 7-years old, but soon quit because his interests were with art and baseball. (2) Later, as a teenager, he became interested with a hot, new pianist Harvey Brooks. He taught himself how to play piano and at age fifteen, he composed his first song, “Soda Fountain Rag” while he worked as a soda jerk at Poodle Dog Café. He composed this by ear because he had not yet learned how to read and write music. (4) One of Duke Ellington’s first professional gigs paid him 75 cents for hours worth of playing at a party; however, by his late teens, he had earned enough money to help his parents move into a better house. Ellington was so confident that his career was taking off that at the age of nineteen he married his high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson.
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(2) She had their only son, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, a year later. Mercer also became a very good singer, band leader and was the road manager of his father’s band. Ellington’s sister, Ruth, also ran his Tempo Music company. Duke studied music during the ragtime era, which was a popular American music consisting of off-beat dance rhythms that began with the honky-tonk pianists along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. By the time he was twenty, he had moved to New York City and formed his band, which would be the foundation for his life’s work. (5) Between 1923-1927, Ellington and his band made about 60 recordings. His big break came in 1927 at the opening of the Cotton Club in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. The Ellington Orchestra performed many live
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broadcasts from the Cotton Club which endeared his style of music to people all over the country. (2) Besides being a great musician, Duke Ellington loved writing music. (1) The songs he wrote gave every member of his band a chance to shine. He also wrote an incredible amount of music for a number of different projects: musical reviews, movies, a Broadway production, Jump for Joy, a ballet, The River, a comedic opera, sacred music, and the entire score for the film Anatomy of a Murder. He was a genius for instrumental combinations, improvisation and jazz arranging. During his lifetime, Duke Ellington received many honors and awards such as honorary doctorates from Howard and Yale Universities, membership in the American Institute of Arts and Letters, election as the first jazz musician member of the Royal
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Music Academy in Stockholm, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (3) His band toured for 50 years and during that time he worked with such greats as Billy Strayhorn, Irving Berlin, Al Jolson, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby to name a few. Duke Ellington died of lung cancer and pneumonia on March 24, 1974, one month after his 75th birthday. (2) Over 12,000 people attended his funeral in New York City. He was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. After his death, his son Mercer picked up the reins of his orchestra and continued his legacy. (3)
"Jazz is a good barometer of freedom. In its beginnings, the United States
spawned certain ideals of freedom and independence through which,
eventually, jazz was evolved, and the music is so free that many people say
it is the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom
yet produced in this country."
--Duke Ellington (6)
Biography of Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy Ellington was recognized in his lifetime as one of the greatest jazz composers and performers of all time. He was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. to James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. Ellington’s childhood friend, Edgar McEntree, thought Ellington carried himself
Duke Ellington began taking piano lessons at 7-years old, but soon quit because his interests were with art and baseball. (2) Later, as a teenager, he became interested with a hot, new pianist Harvey Brooks. He taught himself how to play piano and at age fifteen, he composed his first song, “Soda Fountain Rag” while he worked as a soda jerk at Poodle Dog Café. He composed this by ear because he had not yet learned how to read and write music. (4) One of Duke Ellington’s first professional gigs paid him 75 cents for hours worth of playing at a party; however, by his late teens, he had earned enough money to help his parents move into a better house.
Ellington was so confident that his career was taking off that at the age of nineteen he married his high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson.
Duke studied music during the ragtime era, which was a popular American music consisting of off-beat dance rhythms that began with the honky-tonk pianists along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. By the time he was twenty, he had moved to New York City and formed his band, which would be the foundation for his life’s work. (5) Between 1923-1927, Ellington and his band made about 60 recordings. His big break came in 1927 at the opening of the Cotton Club in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. The Ellington Orchestra performed many live
Besides being a great musician, Duke Ellington loved writing music. (1) The songs he wrote gave every member of his band a chance to shine. He also wrote an incredible amount of music for a number of different projects: musical reviews, movies, a Broadway production, Jump for Joy, a ballet, The River, a comedic opera, sacred music, and the entire score for the film Anatomy of a Murder. He was a genius for instrumental combinations, improvisation and jazz arranging.
During his lifetime, Duke Ellington received many honors and awards such as honorary doctorates from Howard and Yale Universities, membership in the American Institute of Arts and Letters, election as the first jazz musician member of the Royal
"Jazz is a good barometer of freedom. In its beginnings, the United States
spawned certain ideals of freedom and independence through which,
eventually, jazz was evolved, and the music is so free that many people say
it is the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom
yet produced in this country."
--Duke Ellington (6)
Works Consulted
1. Robert, Gibson. "Duke Ellington." Jazz CD Reviews. 7 Mar. 2008 <http://www.musicweb-international.com/jazz/2005/Duke_steps_out.htm>.
2. "Duke Ellington." Encyclopedia Britannica. 7 Mar. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/bps/art/99751/Duke-Ellington#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked%3E%2Fbps%2Ftopic%2F185019%2FDuke-Ellington>.
3. "Edward "Duke" Ellington (1899 - 1974)." Red Hot Jazz. 7 Mar. 2008 http://www.redhotjazz.com/duke.html.
4. "Edward K. (Duke) Ellington." Apr. 2002. 7 Mar. 2008 <http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&ComposerId_2872=2311>.
5. "Duke Ellington." America's Library. 7 Mar. 2008 <http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/ellington>.
6. "Jazz & Blues 1920s-30s." Jazz Music. 8 Mar. 2008 <http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/jazzpoems2.html>.